>> pelley: tonight, on the brink of war. rockets at jerusalem as israel calls up thousands of reserves and masses troops on the gaza border. allen pizzey reports from tel aviv. the in texas, a parade to honor veterans becomes a scene of tragedy. >> it was something i've never seen, something i don't want to see again. dimasi an a werner is at the deadly train crash. could congress and the president be close to a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff looming at the end of the year. nancy cordes is at the white house. and steve hartman is "on the road". >> go, go! >> mason: for this family, it's two decades on the gridiron and never a time out. how many boys do you have? do you know? (laughs) captioning sponsored by cbs

this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> mason: good evening, scott is off tonight, i'm anthony mason. after another day of air strikes and rocket attacks, israel and hamas are inching closer to a ground war in gaza. the palestinian militant group has fired more than 450 rockets at israel this this week. three israelis have been killed in the attacks. in response, the israeli air force has pounded hamas targets killing at least 28 palestinians, including some children. air raid sirens sounded today in major cities, including jerusalem and tel aviv. allen pizzey is there. >> reporter: nearly 100 rockets fired from gaza made it into israel today, sending people running for shelters. and for the first time ever, a missile reached the edge of jerusalem. the growing threat from hamas is pushing israel closer to a ground war. israeli troops and armor are

massing along the board we are gaza. 16,000 reservists have already been called up and the cabinet approved plans that could raise that to 75,000. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu warned that his government was prepared to expand its operation into gaza. that carries the risk of more casualties on both sides. at least 28 palestinians have been killed so far, half of them civilians, including several women and as many as six children. the israelis insist they are only targeting hamas military positions, but tkpwa *z is one f the most densely populated areas on earth so civilians are inevitable victims. today egypt's new islamist government sent prime minister hash shim kandil to show its support for hamas. he toured a hospital and was shown what hamas said were victims of israeli air strikes. kandil said he came to plea for peace but his rhetoric supported hamas. he called the violence a tragedy

and said egypt will not spare any effort to stop what he termed "this aggression." in israel, a funeral today was interrupted by a warning siren that another missile was on its way and there is growing a growing fear that hamas has vastly improved its arsenal. among the targets the israeli military said it destroyed today was a hamas factory for building drones. they also carried out two more targets and assassinations. the israeli defense force spokesman used his twitter account tonight to announce that what he called a senior hamas company commander and a chief missile operator had been killed. >> mason: allen pizzey in tel aviv. thanks, allen. federal accident investigators are at the scene of a tragic trash in midland, texas. it happened last evening at a parade honoring war heroes. at least four veterans were killed, 16 other people were hurt, some critically. anna werner reports witnesses describe a scene of brief and shock. >> reporter: the annual parade for wounded veterans was on its

way to a dinner banquet when it was struck by the train. joe cobarobia saw it all happen. >> it's something i've never seen. nothing -- something i've never heard and i wish i never here that again. >> reporter: cobarobia was filming at the moment of impact. investigators are now reviewing his footage. >> one of the veterans was actually under the train. i do not know whether to run up to him, grab him, pull him out from under the train because the train was still moving fairly quickly, you know? >> reporter: the flat bed carrying the 26 people was the last float in the parade. the truck was traveling behind another group of veterans and was trailed by a police car. as the truck went across the tracks, witnesses tell us that the train signal sounded and the guardrail started to come down on top of the flat bed. some witnesses say the driver started to cross the tracks before the truck in front had moved away. if true, the driver may have violated federal safety regulations. the national transportation

safety board is interviewing eyewitnesses, including the driver of the semi. mark rosekind is with the n.t.s.b. >> we'll be looking at the driver's qualifications, his training, his medical status and do a 72-hour review of his sleep/work history. >> it is the strength we deeply need. >> reporter: this morning, this tight-knit community held a vigil to remember the four who died. 47-year-old army sergeant major lawrence boivin was awarded a silver star and a purple heart for injuries during a 2004 tour in iraq. 37-year-old marine gary stouffer was deployed multiple times to afghanistan where he sustain add traumatic brain injury. he was three years shy of retirement. 43-year-old sergeant major william will yo lubbers died ate hospital. in 2003, he sustain add gunshot wound when his team was ambushed in afghanistan. sergeant joshua michael was the youngest, age 34. he pushed his wife off the

truck, saving her life. midland mayor wes perry. >> streets were lined with families. i was there waving flags and just the incredible change of emotion is -- -- is devastating. >> reporter: investigators have a lot to look at here yet but here are a couple things they do know anthony. that on this 70 mile per hour stretch of track, the train was going 62 miles per hour and there was emergency braking. investigators have yet to determine at what point those brakes were applied. >> mason: anna werner, thanks, anna. at the white house today president obama met with congressional leaders to try to work out a deal to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff. that's the combination o severe budget cuts and tax hikes that will go into effect in january if there's no agreement on the budget. nancy cordes is at the white house and, nancy, it appears that everyone's at least a bit more optimistic now, right?

>> reporter: that's right, anthony. today's meeting was just the first step and the outlines of a deal are still far from clear. but in the wake of last week's election, leaders from both sides appear more eager to compromise with one another than they have perhaps in years. >> i think we're all aware that we have some urgent business to do. >> reporter: the president, vice president and four top congressional leaders insisted they are willing to put their own sacred cows on the line to get a deal and calm jittery financial markets. >> to show our seriousness, we've put revee on the table. as long as it's accompanied by significant spending cuts. >> reporter: in the meeting, house speaker john boehner proposed leaders establish a framework in the next six weeks for wide scale reform of the tax code, medicare, and social security in 2013. the goal would be to set specific targets now for savings from those reforms. that would negate the need for steep spending cuts congress called for last year that are

set to kick in on january 1, the same day the bush tax cuts are set to expire. that damaging combo has been come to be known as the fiscal cliff. while democrats often balling at any mention of entitlement reform, today nancy pelosi signaled a new openness. >> do we want to have savings from everything that we do? certainly? so we need revenue, we need savings, we need growth. >> reporter: leader pelosi said there appeared to be interest in a big deal, about four trillion dollars worth of deficit redictions along the lines of the grand bargain that fell apart wean the president and speaker boehner last year, anthony. >> mason: nancy, there are just 46 days until the new year. what can they really hope to accomplish in that time? >> reporter: well, i think what they're hoping for an s an outle, a road map, if you will, that they can take back to both sides for more sensible spending cuts than the across-the-board cuts set to go into effect in those 46 days.

>> mason: nancy cordes. thanks, nancy. former c.i.a. director david petraeus was questioned by congress today about the september attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi, libya. petraeus appeared behind closed doors at the capitol. he spoke with members of the house and senate intelligence committees in a secure underground hearing room. david martin reports. >> reporter: david petraeus sped away from the capitol in his limo, leaving members of congress to describe the former c.i.a. director's closed-door testimony. according to republican senator saxby chambliss, petraeus never had any doubt about what to call the attack on the american consulate in benghazi. >> there was no question in the mind of anybody that this was an act of terrorism from the get-go. >> reporter: by the morning after, the c.i.a. knew some of the attackers who killed four americans were members of extremist groups. yet president obama refraind from calling it a terrorist attack when he spoke with steve kroft on "60 minutes" that afternoon. >> do you believe this was a

terrorist attack? >> well, it's too early to know exactly how this came about, what group was involved, but obviously it was an attack on americans. >> reporter: from intercepts of cell phone calls and text messages during the attack, the c.i.a. knew some of the attackers belonged to al qaeda in maghreb, a north african affiliate of al qaeda. but petraeus testified any mention of al qaeda was >> ed: the out of unclassified talking points prepared for u.n. ambassador susan rice when she appeared on fay fay fiv faye fas after the attack. according to peter king, how that happened is a mystery. >> nobody knows who came up with the final version of the talking points other than to say the original talking points prepared by the c.i.a. were different from the ones that were finally put out. >> reporter: that final version of the talking points said "there are indications that extremists participated in the assault." a bland description of what intelligence judged to be a

terrorist attack involving extremists with links to al qaeda. tonight, the white house issued a statement denying it played any role in editing out those two loaded terms "terrorism" and "al qaeda." >> mason: david martin. thank you, david. an oil rig exploded in flames in the gulf of mexico. two workers are missing and 11 were hospitalized. the rig is located off louisiana 80 miles from where deep's deepwater horizon exploded and collapsed in 2010, unleashing the worst accidental oil spill in history. how bad was today's accident? manuel bojorquez is in grand isle, louisiana, tonight. >> reporter: the explosion was set off when workers using a blowtorch cut through a pipe, igniting combustible gas. 26 workers were on the platform. boats from neighboring rigs moved in to get workers away from the fire. >> appreciate your help today. >> reporter: this platform was neither pumping nor producing oil. it was actually being brought

back online. the heat was intense enough that it melted metal, even that crane up there. four of the workers had second degree and third degree burns. ed cubanski is with the coast guard. >> the primary concern is looking for the two people missing, coordinating with the oil spill response organization to contain the pollution and then obviously investigation of the cause of this incident. >> reporter: the oil platform sits in 56 feet of water. it's owned by houston-based black elk energy. the company has a stake in more than 150 platforms off louisiana and texas. john hoffman is black elk c.e.o. >> when something like this happens it tears at everyone's heart and, you know, it's a horrible day. we're going to heal together but first and foremost we have to take care of those involved. >> reporter: we found no record of safety violations or complaints on this rig. anthony, the coast guard will continue to search for those two

missing workers throughout the night. >> mason: and there's no oil leakinleaking there tonight, ma. thanks very much. there has been another death in the meningitis outbreak. a missouri man is accused of plotting a copy cat attack on a movie theater. and there's a run on hostess twinkies when the "cbs evening news" continues. if you are one of the millions of men who have used androgel 1%, there's big news. presenting androgel 1.62%. both are used to treat men with low testosterone. androgel 1.62% is from the makers of the number one prescribed testosterone replacement therapy. it raises your testosterone levels, and... is concentrated, so you could use less gel. and with androgel 1.62%, you can save on your monthly prescription. [ male announcer ] dosing and application sites between these products differ.

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>> mason: the maker of legendary american treats like twinkies, ring dings and devil dogs said today it's going out of business. hostess brands ceased operations and began to lay off more than 18,000 workers. what happened when customers got word? john blackstone takes a look. >> reporter: the panic buying was on at hostess stores. in los angeles -- >> had to get here to get twinkies, but they're out of twinkies. >> reporter: chicago saw a run on ding-dongs and devil dogs. >> when you have that late night sweet tooth, this satisfies it. this will cure it. >> reporter: in northern california, jeff yeelit was after sno-balls and wonder bread. >> i grew up eating these but my kids haven't. so i said if they're going out of business they have to at least try them. >> it's twinkie the kid! >> wow! howdy partners! come on to hostess twinkie town.

>> reporter: hostess was a lunchbox favorite for decades but the company ran into trouble as consumers-- mostly parents-- moved to low fat and low carb treats. in 2009, hostess was taken over by a private equity firm and two hedge funds. greg rayburn is the hostess c.e.o. >> the demand is there for the products. the problem is you have to make them at a profit. >> reporter: this week, the bakers union went on strike when hostess asked for another cut in wages and benefits. marie mcdonald worked at the seattle bakery for 37 years. >> i was a twinkie straightener for a while. >> reporter: twinkie straighten her? >> then i went on pies because nobody wantedded to do pies. everything that i have is because i have this job. >> reporter: the bankrupt company warned workers it would go out of business if the strike didn't end by last night. why on earth put yourselves out of work, basically? >> between take away the pension and taking away wages, making us pay more for medical you really

are getting minimum wage by this time. >> reporter: hostess workers will lose their jobs but the companies owners could profit by selling its famous brand names for others to make. twinkies, which have a reputation of lasting almost forever masur srao *euf even this. john blackstone, cbs news, seattle. >> mason: we learned today the meningitis outbreak claimed another victim. tainted sto *eud shots have now been linked to 33 deaths. more than 450 people have been effected in 19 state, including a woman in massachusetts where the pharmacy that prepared the shots is located. what's a good way to draw a crowd? put up a "help-wanted" sign. that's just ahead. making it hard to breathe, with copd i thought those days might be over. so my doctor prescribed symbicort. it helps significantly improve my lung function starting within five minutes. symbicort doesn't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms.

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>> mason: a missouri man was charged today with plotting a mass shooting spree at a screening of the new twilight movie. police say 20-year-old blaec lammers was arrested after his mother turned him in. she grew concerned after he bought weapons similar to the colorado shooting. he purchased two assault rifles and 400 rounds of ammunition. in phoenix, a woman drove on to an airport tarmac. she crashed her car through a gait and drove on to an active runway. her young child was in the car with her. no one was hurt. the woman has been charged with drunk driving. here's an indication americans are still desperate for jobs.

when american airlines announced it was hiring new flight attendants, the company received more than 20,000 applications for 1500 positions. the jobs are available because more than 2,000 veteran flight attendants took a buyout and left the company. the clock finally runs out on a football dynasty. a family dynasty. "on the road" with steve hartman is next. [ female announcer ] born from the naturally sweet monk fruit, something this delicious could only come from nature. now from the maker of splenda sweeteners, discover nectresse. the only 100% natural, no-calorie sweetener made from the goodness of fruit. the rich, sweet taste of sugar. nothing artificial. ♪ it's all that sweet ever needs to be. new nectresse.

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[ male announcer ] choose taste. choose prego. >> mason: finally tonight, for a mom or dad, one of the great joys of life is watching your kid compete on the athletic field. but one couple has taken sports parenting to a whole new level. steve hartman met them "on the road." >> reporter: it was cold the night dassel cokato high school in minnesota played its final game of the year. cold enough to make your eyes water, which is what i thought was happening to parent karen aho. but then i got a closer look and saw she was feeling more than the windchill. >> it's been a great run. >> reporter: for karen and her husband tom this game marks the end of an era. the end of their rein as two of the longest-serving football parents in america.

>> it's hard. >> reporter: over the past quarter century they have been to countless games cheering on count lessons. how many boys do you have? do you know? (laughs) that's the easy question. well, maybe not for you. >> 12 boys. >> reporter: 12 boys, okay. 12 boys. 12 football players spaced out just so that at least one of them has been on every team in cokato every year since 1989. 24 straight seasons of knee sprains, grass stains and night games. mom and dad have nary missed a single contest. screaming like teenagers, cursing like true minnesotans. >> oh, sugar. >> reporter: cheering on each child like an only child. >> you've got to do it! come on! >> mom and dad, it's very obvious they were passionate about their football and their sports and their kids. >> reporter: steve is the oldest at 38. seth the youngest at 18. in between, too many to name. or, for that matter -- what,

another one-- even notice them all. he was here and we didn't even miss him. can you imagine all these guys growing up under one roof. >> ma didn't leave the house. we said hey, let's play football. >> when we bought the house this green carpet was here. they said "it's a natural playing field." >> reporter: over the years karen says they broke almost her entire selection of ceramic figurines. the kid blame her for setting them on what is clearly a goalpost cross bar. it's not such an issue anymore. today they've all moved on but seth. and he's a senior. is there any part of you that's glad it's over? >> no. >> reporter: now now, karen says she's been able to avoid the hardest part of parenting. >> i could never say my kids grew up so fast because there's always another one right there. you know? but now i'll probably feel it. >> reporter: fortunately, karen and tom do have 49 grand kids so it's a little early to start buying ceramics again. but on this night at this moment

that was of little consolation. >> that's it. that's the ball game. (laughs). >> reporter: on this night at this moment all the ahos wanted was just a little more time on the clock. steve hartman, "on the road" in cokato, minnesota. >> mason: by the way, the ahos have three daughters, too. and that's the "cbs evening news" for tonight. for scott pelley, i'm anthony mason. thanks for watching. see you on cbs "this morning" saturday. good night. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

. breaking news. to prince george's county police officers suspended tonight for making inappropriate videos. the chief says he found out there were racially sensitive videos on the internet and he addressed the media about it minutes ago. >> video depicts a traffic stop. a prince george's county police car pulls up behind a vehicle. two individuals, both african- american men dressed in prince george's county uniforms exit that cruiser, approach a vehicle being driven by an african-american male. there's demeaning language, racial viewers, crude stereotypes that are used in conversation